WATCH: Center Zeke Correll Breaks Down Improvements from WCU, Anthony Belton & Mindset Headed into Tennessee

Redshirt Senior Center Zeke Correll spoke with the media after practice on Wednesday. He broke down where the NC State Offensive Line needed to improve after WCU, what makes Anthony Belton unique, and their mindset heading into Tennessee. You can watch the video ABOVE, or read the transcript BELOW.

A lot of teammates from the Charlotte area, how special is it to play for them as they get to be back home again?

Yeah, I mean, more importantly, they play for NC State though, so they gotta represent NC State. Obviously, going home, you’re gonna have more family, friends at the game. But at the end of the day, they’re playing for NC State, and we gotta represent our team well for our fans, and we owe it to ourselves too.

Do you take pride in the fact that after chipping away for three quarters, the running game exploded in the 4th Quarter against WCU?

Yeah, I think we do, but also, I know we’re urgent to fix the issues that, I think we had some glaring issues. I think it starts with communication, and I think once we can do what we did in the fourth quarter, all four quarters, it’s gonna be a really fun year.

And this offense is gonna see a lot more success, but I think it all starts up front with the offensive line.

Struggles on 3rd and 4th in short against WCU

Yeah, it all starts with assignment, making sure we’re all on the same page.

And then, obviously, short yard situation’s are different than normal down the distance. You gotta get lower pads, maybe tighten your split a little bit. You gotta strain extra hard to get that one yard, and we didn’t do that at a high enough level on Thursday.

And that starts with the O line. That starts with making sure you’re prepared going into that week. And I think we’re doing a better job this week, making sure we’re prepared in that moment, so that doesn’t happen.

How did you enjoy a Saturday off?

It was great. I literally sat on my couch for 11 hours and watched football all day. So that’s definitely nice.

What games did you watch?

I mean, I had a quad screen going all day, so I watched literally pretty much every game, so.

You’ve played against some, or with some really talented tackles in your career. Anthony Belton’s obviously one of them. What makes him a special football player?

Yeah, obviously, he’s a really big guy, but more than that, watching him pass set at how big he is, it’s like, you just kind of go, ‘whoa.’ Like a guy that big shouldn’t be able to move like that. And not only that, but he can be really explosive.

And there’s a few times last week where he kind of just flat-backed the guy and landed on him, like I’m surprised he didn’t crush some ribs when he did that. But he’s a really special, talented guy, and when he’s playing at his best, look out, because he’s a really good ball player, so.

Was there a moment with Anthony when you first came here, where you saw him make a great play like that, and understood why they call him ‘Escalade?’

I think just being around him, because obviously, you’re an average human. I’m a large, large guy, but he makes me look like a middle schooler. But I think definitely just watching some of those pass sets, like watching how quick his feet are, and kind of reminded me of The Blind Side.

Just like, Sandra Bullock says his feet are ‘quicker than a hiccup.’ I think that’s kind of what AB is, so.

Speaking of big dudes, you’re going up against some big dudes this week. What are your thoughts on Tennessee’s front?

Yeah, they have a really solid front. They have a lot of depth. They have a lot of guys that can play good football.

And we never are gonna go into a week underprepared, or you always gotta respect your opponent and make sure you play your best football. And they got a good defense, so we have our hands full this week in preparation. And I think the most important thing is making sure we’re communicating well, and we’re on the same page.

And then when we’re doing scout stuff this week, our scout team’s giving a good look, so.

Do you see this as a unique opportunity, or just one opportunity out of 12? How do you value this game?

Yeah, obviously it’s a unique opportunity. We’re playing at an NFL Stadium.

We’re the home team, but it’s not in Carter-Finley. So obviously it’s a little different, night game, all of the above. But we play Tennessee, and it’s NC State versus Tennessee.

And we just gotta handle business.